4 Things I Wish I Knew in My 20s

Why Your 20s Matter More Than You Think

I didn’t really start balling until my mid-30s.

But I could’ve been winning 10 years earlier.

The difference wasn’t talent or intelligence.

It was focus.

Most guys in their 20s think they’re building memories.

But they’re really building habits.

And those habits either make you rich in your 30s…

Or stuck doing damage control.

Here’s what I wish I knew back then, so you can skip the regret and start stacking wins now.

Chase Victory, Not Dopamine

Most guys waste their 20s chasing girls, parties, and pointless fun.

They think they’re winning because they’re collecting stories.

But none of that builds your future.

When I was younger, I wasn’t wild, but I still indulged more than I should have.

And I met a guy five years younger than me who was ten times richer.

He didn’t chase fun.

He chased victory.

And now he’s living 10X the life I was at his age.

I would’ve traded every party and every meaningless hookup for the kind of success he built.

Because here’s the truth:

You’re going to sacrifice either way.

You either sacrifice your comfort now, or your goals become the sacrifice later.

That’s why I worked 12 to 14 hours a day for two years straight.

Four jobs.

No parties. No barbecues. No basketball games.

And I saved half my income and used that to launch my first successful business.

Now when I go to basketball games, I sit courtside.

Now when I take vacations, it’s first class.

Delayed gratification doesn’t mean no fun forever.

It means better fun later.

Build Character, Not Status

In your 20s, it’s easy to get distracted by the external game.

You want the Rolex now.

You want the nice car now.

You want the validation now.

But if you chase status before you build character, you’ll lose everything.

Just like my dad did.

He went from being an orphan in the streets of Chicago to making millions.

But once the money came, he stopped doing the things that got him there.

And he lost it all.

Because he never built the character to sustain it.

I learned from that.

Now I don’t work for money.

I work to become the type of man who deserves money.

I wake up at 4:30 even though I’m already rich.

Because I’m proud of doing hard sh*t most people can’t do.

That’s how you stay sharp.

That’s how you keep growing.

The minute you think you’ve earned the right to relax is the minute you start declining.

You don’t want to be the guy who had it.

You want to be the guy who keeps winning because it’s who he is.

You build that by choosing pain over pleasure, pride over comfort, and discipline over dopamine.

And if you need help rewiring your mind?

Start with what I call the “List of Great.”

Write down all the traits the best version of you would have.

Then act in alignment with those traits every day.

Eventually, it won’t take discipline to do the hard things.

It’ll take discipline not to.

Become So Good They Can’t Ignore You

You don’t get paid because you want money.

You get paid because you’re good enough that people come to you.

That’s the part most guys miss.

They’re too busy trying to monetize… instead of getting elite at something first.

My video editor Ryan pitched me early when he was just getting started.

I passed.

I didn’t want him testing out his system on me.

But he kept working. Got better. Started blowing up other people’s channels.

By the time I came back, the price had gone up… and I happily paid it.

Because now he was undeniable.

If you want to win in your 30s, your 20s need to be about skill acquisition.

Even if it means working for cheap.

Even if it means working for free.

You’ve got to rack up hours doing the thing.

When I launched my fitness brand, I already had years of experience training real people.

Ten sessions a day.

In person.

On the grind.

That’s why I came in with confidence.

That’s why people paid me.

It wasn’t hype. It was skill.

Always Be Learning

Most people stop learning after school.

That’s why they stay broke.

I read two books a week. I study for 60–90 minutes a day.

And I track it.

Just like my workouts, my sleep, and my macros.

Because if you don’t track it, you’re probably not doing it.

Every time you learn something new, your brain upgrades.

You make better decisions.

You solve problems faster.

You spot opportunities other people miss.

Doesn’t matter how you learn, books, podcasts, courses, YouTube, but you’ve got to feed your brain daily.

It’s not optional if you want to win.

Start tracking how often you learn.

Because most people don’t realize how little they’re actually improving until they see the data.

Once you measure it, you can master it.

The BMM Takeaway

Everything you want is on the other side of who you become.

Not what you say you want.

Not what you post online.

Who you actually are.

That’s why this whole thing is about becoming the kind of man who attracts success automatically.

The kind of man who doesn’t need to chase.

Because the money, women, respect, and opportunities show up on their own.

You don’t need a better plan.

You need to become a better operator.

Do that in your 20s…and by 30, you’ll be unstoppable.